Slow…….that doesn’t even BEGIN to state the never-ending misery caused by these crumby phone lines here. Not even fiber optic we STILL have copper lines.

I remember when I was young my mum told us naughty boys had to spend time in their bedroom. There’s a different rule however for knotty trees…..as a punishment for misbehavior of one kind or another they are summarily BANISHED from the forest spending their retirement days on the edge of a highway…..a VERY severe punishment but there you have it……HEY….WAIT…..that sounds vaguely familiar….hmmm.

I have no idea what infraction this tree committed but I feel for it…..all alone, connected by just a thin set of copper wires to all the other banished trees.

I took the dogs out today and for the first day…it’s just a little frosty.

I went down my own bush road which goes the length of my property, 1/2 mile, and well beyond across crown land to the river about another 1/2 mile on.

Heading through the bush I was able to let Mr. new-dog off the leash and let him run free with Jack.

I say Mr. new-dog because I received some interesting information today.

The new dog was not called Hank by the owner….her best friend can’t remember exactly what he WAS called but she was adamant it was NOT Hank…..fine with me…I didn’t really like Hank as a name anyway so after a little thought and taking into account his tumultous stay with jack in my barn overnight I decided that as Ron might be correct and he might be an Aussie Border his behevoir determines his name…..Wally.

If he isn’t a Wally no dog I ever had was one.

I won’t bother cataloging the # of things he spilled, knocked over, chewed, ate, moved and jumbled but he’s DEFINITELY a Wally.

A good Aussie expression that PERFECTLY describes him from now on I’ll write about the adventures of Wally.

The picture is a bush puddle he encountered that he ALMOST stepped on….but backed away, barked and wouldn’t go near it until Jack stepped on it’s extremely fragile surface and broke both the ice and the mystique…no more Wally-fear ….. of ice anyway but there’s ALWAYS something new around the bend.

OK….seaside IS a bit of a stretch since the nearest ‘sea’ is a few thousand kilometers away….no matter….the ‘riverside’ is going to have to do….to be more precise the ‘swampside’.

If Ron can do it then so can I!

I took the dogs for an extended walk ( one of them on a leash for now ) around the south end of ‘my’ swamp.

I wanted to stay away from the road and the sound of vehicles if I could so I could get Hank used to staying near. For now he’ll have to be on a leash until I can be sure he’ll come when I call his name.

This ‘new’ area of the swamp is mostly unexplored by me as the water is ALWAYS too high to reach some parts but either the water has gone down of it’s own accord or more likely a Beaver dam has broken downstream and the water is significantly lowered.

In any case I was able to get to some of the ‘islands’ of land usually inaccesible.

I found a rocky bit that had been used by Otters, Beavers and whatever as a resting/eating location and I found this Turtle shell.

It’s not a very big one and I THINK it’s a snapping turtle…not sure…could be a Red Ear but if it’s a snapping it’s pretty small.

I’ve seen quite a few measuring nearly 2 feet from front to back across the shell. I never wanted to test their bite but I’m pretty sure I’d be sorry if I did.

The last picture shows the upper inside of the shell and it clearly shows how the ‘spine’ developes into a shell…leaving vestiges of the spine to demonstrate it’s origin.

I’ve never seen it before and I find it pretty interesting. Hope you do too.

OK……So you’re thinking….MAN….I hope I don’t have to look at any pictures of Wayne in the shower!!!

MUCH better……our ‘new’ friend…………..Hank!

A few months ago I posted a picture of a friend’s 2 day old baby horse….she lived alone and had a slew of critters…horses, miniature goats, Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, chickens, barn cats….and God-only-knows-what else on her farm.

Unbeknownst to me, at least, she had a ‘dicky’ heart and 2 days ago she passed away.

Long story shortened her family from down south is here and need to solve a LOT of critter problems.

At least 8 or 10 horses of various ages as well as 3 dogs ( one pregnant ) and all the other creatures I mentioned.

A phone call this morning and I’m the new ‘parent’ to a 1 year old maybe Border Collie…KarenAnn would know better….for me the muzzle doesn’t look exactly right but the rest is.

Notwithstanding some doubts about his lineage…..he’s friendly and still a ‘puppy’ and I am able to provide 80 or so acres he can run around in with his new buddy Jack.

I brought him home….already named Hank by the way so I figured he didn’t need any more upheavel in his life so Hank it is. Judy went out…said hello and I knew she loved him already.

When she came back in I asked……..”So….what do you think?”

She said simply…..”Hank stank”…..end of conversation.

Here he is after a flea shampoo and a flea spray but before a combing with Jack, who showed him the ‘position’ he now assumes in Jack’s world.

Jack…..Alpha

Hank….Not Alpha

I’m happy to say that thanks to his being a pup…( soon to be a ‘fixed’ one )….he and Jack get along very well.

I took this picture the other day, one of the nicer days we have enjoyed this fall.

Unusually warm it has brought out the Partridges apleanty and I managed to get a shot of them as they wandered around my front yard.

At this particular time there were at least 5 or 6 but even though I asked them politely they REFUSED to congregate so I could take a picture of all of them.

I find it a little strange that even though our feeders are full to overflowing they do NOT seem to be interested in any of the large variety of seeds and such that are in the feeders and on the ground around them.

We will see them all winter…usually up in trees huddled low and fluffed up to insulate themselves against the cold wind. On the ground they would be prey to foxes and other land predators so it’s up in the tree for them.

It is DEFINITELY a heartwarming sign of fall and the coming winter when we see SO MANY on the lawn.

Today I was out walking around an area well off the road where I often quad.

I most often prefer not to take the quad when Jack comes with me as he’s getting a litte too old to keep up….but he ABSOLUTELY feels he has to.

We strayed pretty far along a rock ridge-line checking out a new area and at the same time keeping an eye out for Bears that often do the same type of exploring.

They’re not really too dangerous this time of year as the cubs are a season old and smart enough to leave when they hear/see us as opposed to babies acting dumb…as babies do and moving closer to us.

Long story to tell about this log I found.

I rough counted the rings that are visible and it’s about 70 plus or minus a few and the centre is rotted out….or the tree had dead-heart so it might be about 100 years old or so…when it was cut.

In any case even though there were no inhabitants or signs of them I have little doubt that before winter SOME critter will claim it as their own…nice protection and wood is a pretty good insulator so snug and safe.

I can’t tell what kind of tree is was but most likely like it’s neighbours it’s a Red Pine or a Jack Pine.